extreme & exciting

Testing the suspension for 2.4 million kms — or 60 trips around the world.

They even smear chocolate, coffee, oil, lipstick and hair gel all over the seats. All a bit messy, but there is a point. David Moss, boss of Nissan's test lab in Cranfield, Beds, said: "It sounds extreme and some of the devices we use make us look like mad inventors.

"But we have to exceed the real-life usage of our cars to ensure quality and durability."

Pop to your local dealer and they will happily walk you around a GT-R, arguably the most useable supercar under £80k.

For under £30k, there's the sleek 370Z.

Nismo, the Japanese firm's tuning arm, also has a solid track record on the, erm, track.

So why did they bother with the Juke Nismo RS? At 21,995, it's nothing more than a warm-hatch, a sheep in wolf's clothing.

Yes, people like the aggressive styling and the raised ride height gives a commanding view of the road ahead.

But it doesn't tackle your favourite route with the same kind of fizz as the much cheaper Ford Fiesta ST or the similarly-priced RenaultClio RS.

The tweaked suspension and the limited slip differential do help kill off the understeer which dogged the standard model, but it doesn't set my pulse racing.

And where's the noise to back up that whopping big bore exhaust? It's not very practical either. The rear seats are cramped, uncomfortable for adults, and the boot is only 45 litres bigger than a Clio.

So, if you absolutely have to be seen in a rude boy version of Nissan's baby SUV, do yourself a favour, buy the base model and pimp it up at Halfords. You'll save some serious dosh.

NISSAN pretty much invented the crossover — that is, a cross between two styles, part family estate and part SUV — with the Qashqai in 2007. It is regularly one of the top six best-selling cars in Britain and is proudly built in Sunderland. They make one every 62 seconds and 80 per cent are exported.

2015 sales: 49,714 — up 37 per cent.

Key Facts

THE "big daddy" of Nissan's crossover line-up. It has the option of seven seats, 4WD on demand and will tow up to two tonnes. Good kit, easy to drive, decent legroom and rear doors open to 80 degrees. This test car is fitted with the new 1.6-litre turbo petrol — the most powerful engine in the line-up. 2015 sales: 6,936 — up 146 per cent

Key Facts

THE quirky Juke followed the trend-setting Qashqai in 2010 and spawned a new breed of supermini-based SUVs. It had a nip/tuck facelift last year and Nissan recently confirmed that Juke MkII will continue to be built in Sunderland, securing 34,000 jobs. 2015 sales: 31,708 — up 12 per cent.